Bayfield, Sawyer County Gypsy Moths: Public Meeting

Four public meetings will be held in March to present this year's Wisconsin gypsy moth treatment plan, including treatments anticipated for Bayfield, Douglas, Rusk and Sawyer counties.

The gypsy moth treatment would be conducted by the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection's Slow The Spread Program.

The program proposes to aerially treat selected areas totaling approximately 203,000 acres in 22 counties that have been identified as having elevated or reproducing populations of gypsy moth, an invasive and destructive insect with an appetite for about 500 different species of trees and shrubs, the state agency report. Treatment would be conducted in the spring and summer to help control the insect's spread.

"The gypsy moth is a serious pest that threatens our forests and urban trees, and it can have a negative impact on Wisconsin's timber, paper, nursery and tourism industries," said Randy Sthokal, the coordinator of the Slow the Spread Program.

The counties slated to receive treatment are Barron, Bayfield, Buffalo, Burnett, Chippewa, Clark, Douglas, Dunn, Eau Claire, Grant, Green, Iowa, Jackson, La Crosse, Lafayette, Monroe, Pepin, Polk, Rusk, Sawyer, Trempealeau and Vernon.

Public meeting attendees also will have the opportunity to speak with program staff, learn more about the program and the pest, and view maps of treatment areas.

The public meetings are scheduled as follows:

* *Mineral Point:* Monday, March 5, at the Mineral Point Fire Department, 214 Doty St., 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

* *Altoona:* Tuesday, March 6, at the Eau Claire County UW-Extension, 227 First St. W., Room 103, 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.

* *Rice Lake: *Wednesday, March 7, at the Rice Lake Public Library, 2 E. Marshall St., Friendship Room, 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

* *Superior: *Thursday, March 8, at the Superior Public Library, 1530 Tower Ave., Meeting Room, 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

For more information, please e-mail gypsymoth@wisconsin.gov or call the toll-free gypsy moth informational hotline at 1-800-642-6684.